Jesus Christ, after three years I can't believe I'm really reading it, but here we go. This book is phenomenally paced, INCREDIBLY illustrated, and the themes of trauma and pain are so genuine it's just...gahh I don't even have words. Like in the past Geoff has been accused of being edgy for shock appeal, but there is something so real about the trauma each of these characters has suffered through...just...Damn, man. So, was it worth the wait? Abso-freaking-lutely.

This issue was great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow. Just wow.

So, after two years, here we are, at the end, and I have to say for all the excitement I felt at the beginning of the series, this issue brought me right back to that moment. It's not enough to say I loved every moment, but rather, I loved the message that Geoff was trying to tell of the endless nature of this universe, and the importance of DC's past on it's present. All of it read like a letter saying, "Here is what DC should always have, because it makes the universe RIGHT" and as a lifelong DC fan that message really hits home for me. I almost wish I could give this issue a higher rating but I guess a 10 will do for now.

Hilarious

As far as silent issues go, this one isn't the greatest, but it's still a lot of fun to read. You can tell each character, despite no dialogue, still have a lot of emotion in each scene. Also, Dauterman's godlike artwork shines in every panel. I could stare at his version of Jean and Emma for hours.

This was such an excellent experiment and I can't wait for the Teen Titans issue in January. Make no mistake, it is dense (since it's largely prose) and it will take you over an hour to complete the issue, but it's absolutely worth it. Jeff's insight is thought-provoking and often poetic and really shows the struggle of a man trying to be something more. Can't recommend it enough.

Sooo funny. Hickman delivers yet again!

Maybe I'm just a huge fan or Robin but I pretty much loved every story. Even the last one which felt pretty dark. But everything else landed for me. It was great to see some classic writers take on Dick Grayson like Wolfman and Dixon and even newer ones like King & Seeley. Judd Winick had a really touching Jason Todd story that hits you right in the feels. The Adam Beechen Tim Drake story was okay, nothing great, but it had a nice theme and message at the end. And I loved seeing Tynion write Tim again. I was a huge fan of his run on Detective Comics. I even liked the Stephanie Brown story, I though it was charming! The Tomasi story reminded me how much I love and miss Super Sons, and the last story was mildy interesting, imo. All in all, this was a worthy collection of honoring the Robin legacy and I'm really glad DC put it out!

Very interesting issue!

Love this series so far!

Fucking great, man. God I love Hickman's weird crazy worlds...

Tomasi/Walker: 6.5/10 Probably the weakest which is a bummer because Tomasi has delivered some pretty solid one shots and two parters while writing Detective Comics. Art was good, and the analysis of each villain and their traps was fun, but the ending felt too rushed and odd. Bendis/Marquez: 8/10 Bendis and the Bat-Family, as drawn by David Marquez. This a fun little read and it shows how much Bats appreciates his family. Its Bendis speak to the max, so if you don't like that skip it, but if you don't it, it works here. Art by Marquez is fucking stellar, the way he renders Red Robin oml. A solid story. Fraction/Zdarsky 10/10 Tragic and hilarious, which is pretty much how I describe Sex Criminals so I guess that makes sense. If you know this team, and you love Jon and Suze from SC you'll love this story. It's chilling, funny, and has one of the best one liners I've ever seen. Chippo does a great rendering the Batman (and I'm not surprised) and I'd love to see this pairing do another short story. Rucka/Risso 10/10 Wow. WOW! Fucking WOW! Okay, so I have a personal history with this one. Greg Rucka's run on Detective Comics with Martinbrough and Burchett is still one of my favorite run's on any Batman book. And I'm not even talking Gotham Central, the spiritual successor to that book, which just as excellent. So I was fucking pumped to hear Greg was returning to the book and doing a story with Risso. And this story was just radiating with all the energy from Detective and Gotham Central and I couldn't help but smiling the whole time. The story is nothing new (reminded me of Gotham Central #32 with the two beat cops) but it's told in that moody, hard boiled, and atmospheric way that only Rucka can pull off. The subtle looks drawn by Risso, the grounded nature of the dialogue, and the resolution of the rookie cop possibly joining Major Crimes (and if you have read Gotham Central you know how dope that is) made this story an instant classic. I can't wait to reread this and I know I could read a hundred more like it fi Rucka was up to the task. I love his voice for Gotham and its citizens and I'll never get tired. Beautiful. Tynion/Rossmo 9/10 Okay I really loved this one. I love Tynion's Detective Comics so any chance he gets on Batman usually wins my favor. This was also a fun little story starring the World's Spookiest Trio: Batman, Robin, and Deadman. While I don't normally love Rossomo's art, it really worried here and it was nice to see Tynion reflect on a different age of Batman, one where he's working with a classic Robin. This actually felt like a sequel to his story, The Precedent, in Tec 1000, but I digress. It's just a really well told, fun story with some nice touchbacks on Bruce's childhood. I would have loved to have seen more, and I hope Tynion gets to work with Rossomo on a book like this again. Seriously, I think we all want to see Batman, Robin and Deadman: Ghost Hunters in a prestige format one shot. Wolfman/Lupacchino 7/10 A solid enough story, feels a little retro, but still decent. Feels like it was part of a longer story that was cut short, but who knows? Art was solid enough, but I don't know that Sienkiewicz was the best person to ink Luppachino, but it turned out alright I suppose. Morrison/Burnham: 8.5/10 This is the fun romp I expected from Morrison and I was not disappointed. Classic tale of the pulp hero who tries to hard to be the change that Gotham needs, only to get shown up by Batman, the story itself being a commentary on how Batman out shined all those other pulp heroes once he came on the scene. Afterwards, they just faded away as superheroes became more popular I think the Silver Ghost guy literally said he didn't want to end up as just Detective #26, and yet he did. It's just a really clever and subtle way to show how Batman's impact was so monumental on the title and is the perfect celebration of his legacy. Considering Morrison already finished his Batman epic I can see why he didn't want to focus on the Batman's thoughts too much in this story, but it actually feels like the Batman has more of an impact in his absence and short appearance. Huh, I guess less really is more sometimes. Art by Burnham is standout as expected, and it's sad in away, because after this and Green Lantern, Morrison is retiring from the superhero scene. So, what a solid send off, I say, what a truly solid send off. King/Simonson 8/10: I was very intrigued when I learned that Simonson would be returning to Detective once again, after like 40 years or something. He did those Manhunter stories in the 70s and they are phenomenal, not to mention an excellent run with Steve Englehart. Plus, working with King had me intrigued as he tends to work quite well with his artists. And they did indeed deliver. It's a classic King gut punc short story, where Batman is in an all out fight with they ever forgotten lame Batman villian, Doctor Phosphorous. The story basically involves Phosphorous making his last stand, trying to make his legacy in killing the Bat, and juxtaposed with Bruce on his death bed, dying of cancer, from that Batman Annual two years back. And it's told very very well as only Tom can do in these short stories. (I still remember his phenomenal Sgt Rock short story from 2017) Simonson delivers solid pencils, a little rough in a couple places, but some panels that show that he's still got it and King's dialogue is in fine form. I was intrigued mby this story's announcement and my curiosity has been satisfied. Solid work. Snyder/Reis 8/10: It's peak Snyder Bat God, told from the perspective of Jim Gordon. Which is fitting I suppose, considering how much Snyder focused on him during his run on Detective. It's a nice little focus on their freidnship, and while I thought the wrap up was a little rushed, the story left me with a really nice feeling. Art by Reis is beautiful as it always is, and it is nice to see Snyder writing Batman. Even if it isn't perfect, he knows how to spin an engaing yarn, and I'm always happy to see him do it. Tamaki/Mora: 7.5/10 This is a fun prelude to a story that sets up some stuff coming in Fall/Winter. While I wasn't crazy about the Joker War connection, the story was solid and the real draw is Dan Mora's Batman. Oml it is so beautiful! I checked ahead and I'm wondering why Tamaki isn't finishing this story? Like it's her setup, but Tomasi is finishing it which seems odd to me. Solid story, could have been more without the JW connection, but solid enough I suppose. Jurgens/Nowlan 7.5/10 DeConnick/Romita Jr. 7.5/10 I didn't have any major thoughts on these last two, they were just kind of solid enough to keep me interested. I'm somewhat interested in what this Generations one shot is going to be after this story, but not much. DeConnick delivered a fun snarky story, but not too much to speak it terms of how it was told and the art was okay for Romita. It might be nice to see her tackled a longer story, but I doubt she's interested. And that's really all I have to say about these two. So! What a hell of a collection! I gotta say, I was worried this was gonna be a retread of Tec 1000, but it sill managed to stand on it own. It had some great stand alone stories that I'll reread one day or never read again. But at 144 pages and only $9.99 I'd say it's worth your cash. Here's (again) to a thousand more!

Still love this book.

This was a really strong start just like AC! I'm hoping this sticks the landing as well.

I've never seen Lemire write like this...just amazing.

I originally gave this an 8, but I changed my score upon a second reading. MUCH much better the second time around. I'm very interested about this mysterious new "design" for Gotham City and how the assassins in this issue tie into that design. Tynion delivers a formulaic, albeit entertaining opening and I can't wait to see where he goes from here. I followed his Detective Comic run from beginning to end and I loved it. So I'm excited to see what direction he takes this story.

The best issue Tynion's written out of this entire run. What a fantastic way to send off Alfred.

This was a surprisingly solid anthology. No bad stories, really, save for The Symbol which, while silly, had a good message. Standouts were definitely the Stokoe Clownhunter story, The Joker/Bane story and the Lucius Fox story. So five cool stories for six bucks with amazing artwork in each.

This issue is a trip, let me tell you...

How to write a Jokerman review: 1.0 - This series is trash! It is the trashiest trash trash that ever trashed!! It is big garbage. DC need cancel stupid Strange Adventures garbage book!!! 10 - This is fun and self contained book I like and excellent art, it is masterpiece. Basically, speak like a retard, use the word "trash" 50 times, and never EVER read the book. Edit: Now that the bastard is gone for good, I am retracting my original review bomb in favor of my actual score. We did it.

Solid conclusion for an awesome series

That was fun as hell!

This series cannot come out fast enough

That was really fucking good, goddamn!

"I could't let you eat my home planet, Bee" I was dying. Loved this issue

Man, this book is so good I can't believe no one is talking about it!

This series, at least the Hickman and Reis issue, have been too much fun. Loved the D&D reference

The House of Slaughter stuff is fascinating, and I love the tone of this series. After every issue I feel like I'm hungry for more of this world.

Great issue, though I'm actually amazed that someone's criticism of this issue is that someone was seen wearing a mask. Holy fuck I thought people on the left were supposed to be sensitive ones, my word. Please grow up.

When I saw a man, bent on his knees, ass out, trying to giving himself a fix, I knew I was in.

Man, this series just gets better and better...

Kurt and Scott's conversation about the implications of resurrection, what that means for their souls, what that means for heaven and so on was just....just amazing. This series just astounds me at how amazing it is, asking tough questions, but really making you think. It reminds me of Hickman's FF when Reed was considering what lengths he would be willing to take to solve everything, and how the series evolved from just that one idea. Truly amazing.

Loved the interactions with Jonah and Spidey. I also really liked the back up story with Overdrive, surprisingly.

Spencer's Spider-Man just does not quit.

Probably the strongest chapter so far. I'm interested in this secret deal the villains made with The Designer.

An average origin story, but the incredible art by Stokoe elevated this issue by an extra point for me.

Super solid issue, each story worked in its own right.

This arc has been terrific. Much improved over The Legend of Steve.

Now THIS is an Avengers story. Action, a foreboding threat, a touching scene with the team at the end. Not to mention amazing art by Pepe Larraz and Marte Gracia. Good lord, why is Al Ewing not writing the main Avengers title?

Empyre stepped up this week, and it was a much better issue than the last one. Or maybe I'm just in a better mood :)

This was so much fun, oh my lord

This series was pretty solid overall, even if the end wasn't perfect.

Great character interactions, and the story really feels like its clicking.

A really exciting start!

Surprisingly, I really liked this one!

Amazing.

This was a pleasant surprise, as I did not have high hopes for this. I love Hulkling, but I hated the idea of him being a space dictator. Nevertheless, this issue gets you up to speed on what Teddy's been doing, his connection to the new Alliance and, best of all, his relationship with Billy and how that changes. Billy and Teddy's relationship is so pure, and I almost wish we could see more, but I'm sure we'll get some answers soon. I had no idea who this Oliveira guy was but he and Chip delivered a solid story that I look forward to rereading soon.

Man, this was something. I imagine there's gonna be hell to pay between Krakoa and Wakanda after X of Swords is over.

I'm in.

Probably my favorite issue so far.

This would be a near perfect issue (even better than last month's issue) if Condon would just avoid falling into some word traps. He uses the word "well" very frequently, and while some might fight endearing, it becomes annoying very quickly. I eventually just started skipping the word halfway through the book just so I didn't have to keep reading it. Other than that the story was very tight, and i loved the narration bits. There's a genuine tension and anxiety to the town that Condon and Sean are bringing and I love it. Good issue, but just please get rid of the freaking "well" every gd sentence.

A solid wrap up to one of the most unique takes on The Question since O'Neil and Cowan in '87. Or at least since Rucka's take on Montoya as the Question.

Leah had the hardest act to follow. And she knocked it out of the park.

What a great Magneto issue!

Probably the strongest chapter in Tynion's whole run, which shocked me consider how much I was dreading reading Joker War. I didn't find Punchline to be as insufferable in this issue, although the Joker scene made me cringe sooooo hard. Tynion attempts to address the criticism of having ANOTHER Joker story and the average ratings of "Their Dark Designs." Theatre owner: "But haven't people already seen this? Folks don't wanna something they've seen a hundred times before..." Joker: "People say that, but they don't meant that." Ugh. Yeah, a blind man could see the freaking meta commentary there, and it was very cringe. Despite that, the art was absolutely incredible, Jorge does an amazing job as always (his Batman looked so good in JL) and I'm genuinely excited to see him draw more of Gotham. All in all, a solid start to an arc I was loathing to read. I just hope it stays this consistent for the next five parts.

The tone and dialogue felt much more fitting in this issue than last week.

Solid story and a really cool idea, but I get the feeling Cantwell isn't too fond of Reed Richards. That was a little off-putting.

Very cool origin

A very solid debut. It dragged a little bit during some of the scenes, especially with some of the dialogue between Lei Wun and Owen, but I loved the world building, the characters, and the story. I'm very interested to see where the story continues from here. And at $9.99 for around 154 pages worth of content, it's absolutely worth it.

A very fun, enjoyable, solo Magneto story

I can't wait to read this again, super cool issue.

As far as tie-ins go, this was fairly solid.

It's frustrating because, most of Snyder's Justice League is technically well written and enjoyable, but it's so frustrating to have another non-end. I swear, since the Metal, it's been non-stop, "You won't believe what's coming next!" every seven months. Like, can we get a proper ending please? Is that so hard Snyder?! So I will see what Snyder and Capullo bring next, but if it doesn't end after that, I think I'm done.

Solid writing, solid story. A strong Marvel debut for Mark Russell. I hope he gets more Marvel work soon.

This issue is mostly recap, and catching up with characters after issue #24, but I'm excited to see what's gonna happen in Aurum! Also the cliff hanger with Maika should be interesting in the following issue.

My thoughts on Strange Adventures #2 by Tom King, Evan Shaner and Mitch Gerads: Two days ago I read Flex Mentallo, Grant Morrison's thesis on what heroes should represent in our society. His idea was that heroes are our modern mythology and should represent a sort of unbridled optimism that can be seldom found elsewhere. This isn't to say that heroes are perfect, but when they're frequently portrayed as damaged, it's hard to believe they're ever anything else. So while this issue is well written and filled with drama, it's almost hard for me to divorce this from my mind as Adam and Alanna come across as almost cartoonish villains. Adam in particular comes across as whiny, and completely against investigation, which makes him look obviously guilty. And Alanna...well, I just have to wonder when did Alanna became so media savvy? In most interpretations she could hardly speak English, let alone speak on talk shows and interviews. It just feels so...I don't know, hollow? Like it wants to deconstruct truth, especially with heroes who we often just blindly accept, but just for the sake of doing it, not because he has something interesting to say about Adam Strange. I mean, I can feel aspects of it there, but I dunno. It almost feels it can't even give you the benefit of the doubt, like we're supposed to be rooting against Adam from the start which, in a story about what is truth, feels almost rigged. It's not that Adam is or isn't innocent, but rather the way he is portrayed, where you don't even get a sense of why anyone would trust him. And that's not stellar writing, if you're trying to show both sides of truth. So going back to Grant Morrison, who shows us that in the end, heroes always rise above adversity (because that's what makes superheroes, well, superheroes) it makes it hard for to read this because it seems very obvious in where the story is going. Maybe it's just a Tom King thing, but I think I'm sticking with Grant's ideology. Maybe that's too simplistic in this day and age, who knows, but at a time when we're most divided and angry (and rightfully so) I think we should have heroes that remind us that superheroes and their optimism can rise above anything, even in the worst of times. Because, again, that's what defines superheroes. Not their baggage or guilt or self importance, but their ability to overcome adversity. This is mainly focused on the writing, which was where I struggled with the story, but in no way does that cheapen the incredible artwork by Shaner and Gerads, who bring Adam's world to life in the most vivid and incredible fashion. Shaner and his alien arena of combat, and Gerads with quieter scenes on Earth with Adam and the other heroes.

Mmmm this was a very strange characterization of Beast. Not quite sure how I feel about it.

I could read this book forever, and I love how it focuses on different mutants or different scenarios each time. Surprisingly strong Vulcan solo story too, considering I hated the character in Deadly Genesis. Hickman is building a mystery with him that I am excited to see unfold. Just a super fun, super enjoyable X-Men story, as it should be.

Good story arc, but the resolution felt rushed in my opinion.

My problem with Tynion's Batman, aside from the retread of previous stories, is the fact that it breaks one of the first rules of storytelling ALL THE TIME. SHOW, don't TELL. What do I mean by this? Bruce constantly and consistently mentions how "the city is changing" and not once do we actually see that. How nice would it have been to have a scene or two of Batman swinging somberly over the city, no dialogue, looking on at all the changes? When Bruce mentions moving into the Brownstone and changing his style, how nice would it have been to actually SEE that process? Maybe a mostly silent page where he's driving to the new brownstone, he looks up, and says, "Okay, Lucius, let's try it." Even during Joker War, when they mention how civilians were willing to dress up in masks, it would have been nice to actually see the perspective of someone who chose to run with the Joker Army. Maybe a short little five-page intro about a guy who is fed up with every aspect of his life, and we see his shift towards the madness of the Joker. Again, show me, don't just tell me information I'm probably going to forget after I read it. It's scenes like these that really provide the immersive and engaging experience that readers look for, and as far as I'm concerned, I'm not feeling immersed in anything. It feels like Tynion's just telling me information without actually letting the reader see it so for themselves, which is the whole freaking point of comics being a blend of visual and prose. So this is my last issue of Batman for a while. I'll check in in a couple of months to see if anything has improved, but I'm stepping away for now.

There was one great point. If Dick was still Dick, he would've helped everyone. That's for damn sure.

I knew what it was going to be the moment I saw Brian Azzarello's name on the cover. But I think once I accepted what it was going to be, I actually kind of enjoyed it. Don't get me wrong, the story really is trash. Yet in a weird way, I enjoyed as a guilty pleasure. I just embraced how cringe some of the moments were and I ran with it. The closest comparison I have to this story is All Star Batman and Robin where the story is abysmal, but enjoyable in an ironic way. Honestly, I'd love to see them continue the series just to see how absurd it could get. The art was really good too, and it did have some decent action scenes, but overall...the story? Not great. But if you simply embrace the cringe, it makes it much easier to swallow and... dare I say? Maybe enjoy it just a little bit.

This was lighter than the last issue, but it was still pretty enjoyable.

Maybe I'm just not the target audience, but this one really didn't "wow" me. The dialogue was kind of grating in places and the character felt a little one note at times. I was much more fascinated with the world than with Yara to be honest, and that's no way to start. I'll pick up the next one, bc the art is worth the price but I hope it picks up.

Not as bad as I had anticipated, but great. The John Stewart story was interesting, and a solid read, but it was hard to catch up to in some places, and it made it frustrating. I wasn't looking forward to the Jessica Stewart but it ended up being my favorite actually, a very solid read. And the Book of Guy was perfect. Guy is annoying and insufferable and it works so well. So not a terrible anthology, but not great. I wish the back ups had been longer, as they were the best ones imo.

It's fun. Nothing grand or spectacular, but enjoyable in a basic sense. I could see myself enjoying it again on a rainy day or something.

A good read but it really should have been called Giant Size X-Men: Cypher, since Doug really takes Center stage in this story. Nightcrawler feels like more of an afterthought in this story and I was kind of hoping it was more Nightcrawler centric. Still, a solid read overall.

Bit of a slower issue this week, but still enjoyable.

Solid story concept and execution. Dialogue was fine, except it was strange seeing Diana almost defend murder. Also, a comet would still pass through different space sectors, so I don't really understand why the GLC wouldn't know about this place. Astronomers on Earth mark the path of comets all the time so I'm not sure why GLC wouldn't. A space sector covers more than just planets. I haven't read Spurrier outside of The Dreaming, and while I didn't love that series, I hope he sticks the landing with this three part Justice League story.

Not really much of a "last ride" after all...kind of disappointing, to be honest.

This issue was better than the previous one, but I feel like the overarching story is getting lost more and more each issue.

I'm not sure if I want to read this book anymore

This issue could have been a 9 for me, and it almost was, but I had two major problems. First, wordiness. This issue is WAYYY too overstuffed, which is normally fine in a larger sized first issue, but Leah spends a lot of time riffing with characters and it just eats up to much time. Really the issue should have ended after Northstar returns the body and the next issue would start while X-Factor is talking about the details of her death. That would have been much more powerful and much more concise, but instead it just kind of slogs to the ending. Leah clearly likes these characters, but she NEEDS to scale back when it comes to the back and forth. It’s just too much. Felt like bootleg Gail Simone, as she tends to riff a lot too when having characters talk back and forth. I really do like the prime and it’s a cool team, but the dialogue needs to improve soon, as I can see it becoming annoying very fast.

Blah, I'd been enjoying parts of Joker War, but this ending kind blew it. Felt rushed and weird, and the Joker monologue was just bizarre (I guess Joker is an anti-capitalist now?) I dunno, it just felt wrong. And wtf was the point of that Bruce Wayne investigation if it was literally brushed away in a line at the end? They never showed it affecting Bruce, he's been Batman for this entire arc! That was literally pointless and I have no idea why it was in here. Unless Tynion does something amazing in #101 I'm dropping this book after 100. I have no interest left to give.

Filler. Stuffed with boring, uninteresting, expository dialogue. Even the older Batman and Robin flashback was ruined with exposition, and I wanted to enjoy that. I can't just like this book because it has the Bat-Family anymore, I'd rather just read Tynion's Detective.

Overhyped.

Artwork is incredible, but the story is just kind average. Fun, but nothing stand out. Not like the Avengers issues.

Compared to the high octane fun of Grant Morrison's The Green Lantern, this just feels kind of boring and uninteresting. I don't think I'll be reading the next issue.